IDEA ALLEY: Sourdough starter basis for flapjacks and pizza crust

Pancakes
Illustration by Kelly Brant
Pancakes Illustration by Kelly Brant

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Here are two recipes that use sourdough starter that aren't loaves of bread and are relatively fast — compared to other sourdough recipes — to prepare.

This recipe for sourdough flapjacks is adapted from The Texas Cowboy Kitchen by Grady Spears with June Naylor. Be sure to remove your portion of starter from the fridge the night before.

Sourdough Flapjacks

½ cup sourdough starter

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Before preparing batter, let the portion of sourdough starter sit at room temperature overnight.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla with starter. Carefully add flour mixture to egg and starter mixture, stirring just until blended. Cook on a greased griddle over medium-high heat.

Makes 12 (6-inch) pancakes.

This pizza crust recipe is from King Arthur Flour.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

1 cup sourdough starter, unfed/discard

½ cup warm water

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon instant or active dry yeast

4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional

Stir any liquid on top of your refrigerated starter back into it before measuring 1 cup into a large mixing bowl.

(This is a good opportunity to feed the remainder of your starter, if necessary.)

Add the warm water, flour, salt, yeast, and Pizza Dough Flavor (if using). Mix to combine, then knead for about 7 minutes in a mixer with the dough hook, until the dough wraps itself around the hook and cleans the side of the bowl.

Place the dough in a greased container, cover and let rise until almost doubled in bulk. Depending on the vitality of your starter, this will take between 2 and 4 hours. For a faster rise, place the dough in a warm spot, or double the yeast.

For two thin-crust pizzas, divide the dough in half, and shape each into a flattened disk. Drizzle 2 (12-inch) round pizza pans with olive oil, and brush to coat the bottom. Place the dough in the pans, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. After this rest, gently press the dough toward the edges of the pans. If it starts to shrink back, cover and let rest for 15 minutes before continuing.

For a thicker, large pizza, oil a 14 inch round pizza pan (an 18-by-13-inch half-sheet pan will also work). Place the dough in the selected pan and press it out to the edges, again giving it a 15-minute rest before continuing if it starts to snap back.

Cover the pan(s) and let the dough rise until it's as thick as you like.

Toward the end of the rise time, heat your oven to 450 degrees.

Sauce and top as you like, but don't add cheese yet. Bake thin-crust pizzas for 5 minutes before removing from the oven and adding cheese. For thick-crust pizza, bake for 10 minutes before removing from the oven and adding cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 7 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Next week: Recipes that use self-rising flour.

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Food on 04/01/2020

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